Nevada
|DensityRank = 42nd |2000DensityUS = 26.8 |2000Density = 10.3 |MedianHouseholdIncome = $55,431 |IncomeRank = 34th |AdmittanceOrder = 36th |AdmittanceDate = October 31, 1864 |TimeZone = Pacific: UTC −8/−7 |TZ1Where = state |TimeZone2 = Mountain: UTC −7/−6 |TZ2Where = West Wendover |Longitude = 114° 2′ W to 120° W |Latitude = 35° N to 42° N |WidthUS = 322 |Width = 519 |LengthUS = 492 |Length = 787 |HighestPoint = Boundary Peak Elevation adjusted to North American Vertical Datum of 1988. , which falls under the often used cutoff for an independent peak. Also, Boundary Peak is less than away from its higher neighbor. Hence Boundary Peak can be described as not being wholly within Nevada. By contrast, the prominence of Wheeler Peak, , is quite large and in fact it is the twelfth largest in the contiguous United States. Wheeler Peak is the highest point in a radius of more than and is entirely within the state of Nevada.}} |HighestElevUS = 13,147 |HighestElev = 4007.1 |MeanElevUS = 5,500 |MeanElev = 1680 |LowestPoint = Colorado River at |LowestElevUS = 481 |LowestElev = 147 |ISOCode = US-NV |Website = http://www.nv.gov/ }} Nevada is one of the United States' states. Its capital is Carson City. Other big cities are Las Vegas and Reno. History Nevada was originally founded in 1821 as part of the First Mexican Empire. The Mexican Empire turned into the Mexican Republic in 1823, along with Nevada. The Mexican-American Conflict Fighting between the United States and Mexico started. They fought over what was to become the Southwestern United States and who could own this land. This was called the Mexican-American War. The war ended in an American victory in 1848. Nevada later became an American territory in 1861. It was called the "Nevada Territory". This was not all of Nevada as it is today. The eastern part of Nevada was part of "Utah Territory" and the southern part was part of "New Mexico". In 1859 in the Comstock Lode, gold and silver were first discovered. This started a huge growth in mining in the state which Nevada is known for. Gaining statehood On October 31, 1864, now celebrated as "Nevada Day", Nevada was made the 36th state in the United States. It was given the distinct shape resembling a rectangle with a triangle. It was named Nevada meaning "snowy land" in Spanish, because it was snowy in the North. Later, on May 5, 1866, Nevada got its current borders because the Pah-Ute County in Arizona was taken as part of Nevada. It is now Clark County, Nevada. It was also agreed upon that the western part of Utah would become Eastern Nevada. Economy Tourism is very important to the economy of Nevada. Many people visit Las Vegas, which has many casinos and resorts. There is not as much farming as there is in some other states, because Nevada is so dry. However, mining is big in Nevada. More gold is mined in Nevada than in any other state.http://www.mii.org/Minerals/photogold.html File:Basin and Range Nevada.JPG| Basin and Range File:Welcome to fabulous las vegas sign.jpg| Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas File:Sunset in the Navada desert.JPG| Sunset Related pages * Colleges and universities in Nevada * List of counties in Nevada References Other websites * State of Nevada official website Category:Nevada Category:1864 establishments in the United States Category:States of the United States Category:Western United States